With Apple’s iPhone SE press event scheduled for this upcoming Monday, March 21st, it’s no surprise that our reports surrounding what to expect at the event make up most of our top stories this week.

We detailed new info about the much anticipated 4-inch iPhone SE’s design and camera specs, pricing for a 9.7-inch iPad Pro to be unveiled at the event, and also gave you the rundown on the new Apple Watch models that Apple is planning to show off.

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Filed under: AAPL Company, Developers, iOS Devices Tagged: 12MP, 4k, iOS 9.3 beta 7, iPad Pro, iPhone SE, March 21, Night Shift, pricing, specs, top stories, Touch ID Notes

The Department of Justice surprised Apple attorneys this week by reportedly placing a last-minute request to make the March 22nd hearing on the San Bernardino case an evidentiary hearing. The hearing change will allow for witness cross-examination based on previous court declarations, and each side will be allowed to question their own witnesses.

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Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, Department of Justice, Erik Neuenschwander, FBI, iOS, Lisa Ollie, San Bernardino

Apple is holding its first event of the year on Monday next week, and we’ve already reported everything that you should expect to see announced including Apple’s much anticipated 4-inch iPhone SE, its first 9.7-inch iPad Pro, and new first-gen Apple Watch models and bands. But there’s also a whole list of things Apple should update and release but likely won’t next week.

There are a few products for the event and beyond that aren’t being planned, with new MacBooks the most obvious of candidates, but some aging products like Mac Pro, the Thunderbolt Display, AirPort products, wireless EarPods, and more also due for updates. Here’s everything Apple needs to update, but likely won’t announce at its event on Monday:

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: 2016, Apple, international smart keyboard, Mac Pro, MacBook, March 21, Thunderbolt Display, update, USB-C to Lightning

My iPhone 6s is not jailbroken, but there are still a couple of tricks that I employ that make it closer to that of a jailbroken phone. For example, getting rid of animations — a feat normally reserved for users willing to jailbreak — is now available to all iOS 9 users via the handy SpringBoard animations glitch.

Another trick, one that I haven’t been shy about sharing in the past, involves reducing iPhone screen brightness beyond levels that are possible with the standard brightness slider controls. Like the animations glitch, this too uses iOS’ deep accessibility features to pull off the job. If you’re someone who likes to use an iPhone or iPad at night, then your eyes will thank you for this trick. more…

Filed under:
How-To, iOS Devices Tagged: Access control, accessibility, accessibility shortcut, brightness, glitch, how to, screen brightness, tutorial, video

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Save big on Apple’s newest laptops: Retina MacBook Pro $1,000 (Reg. $1,299), 256GB 11″ MacBook Air $870 (Reg. $1,099)

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,200 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

Tweetbot 4 for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch is now 50% off: $5 (Reg. $10)

Daily Deals: Pebble Time Smartwatch $95, Hisense 55-inch 1080p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV $370, more

App Store Free App of the Week: Sputnik Eyes puzzler goes free for the first time ($2 value)

iPad Pro Wi-Fi 128GB in all three colors: $790 shipped (Reg. $949)

Fresh iPad Pro discounts: 32GB Wi-Fi $650, 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular $890, all other models $100 off

Apple iPhone 6s/Plus Factory Unlocked up to $100 off, 16GB just $579 shipped (Reg. $649)

Apple TV Deals: 4th Gen 64GB $175 (Reg. $200), 3rd Gen $49 (Reg. $69), more

Buy or upgrade Parallels ($49-$79) & get 7 Mac apps free: 1Password, Parallels Access, & more (Reg. $269)

2016 All-Star Mac Bundle brings together 11 high-quality apps: $20 (Orig. $263)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Affinity Photo: Apple’s Mac App of the Year 2015 is now matching its lowest price ever: $40 (Reg. $50)

• Smartphone Accessories: Aukey Bluetooth 4.1 Wireless Sport Headphones $15, more
• Headphones: Sennheiser HD7 DJ Closed Over-Ears $119 (Reg. $150+), more
• Games/Apps: LittleBigPlanet 3 from $10, iOS freebies, more
• Green Deals: Fujitsu AA rechargeable batteries w/ charger from $10 shipped, more
• LifeStraw’s drinking bottle w/ filter makes puddle water safe to consume: $21 (Reg. $35)
• LEGO Technic Remote-Controlled 2-in-1 VOLVO Wheel Loader/Hauler $200 (Reg. $250)
• Keep your groceries fresh w/ this FoodSaver Vacuum System: $56 shipped (Reg. $80+)
• Redbox 10 Days of Deals Promotion: BOGO DVDs, discounted discs, and more

PlayStation Plus 1 year membership card for $40 shipped (Reg. $50) wp.me/p1xTlR-P3c https://t.co/hSzkqzEqD6

—
9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 18, 2016

Free HD movie rental – Batman: Gotham Knight wp.me/p1xTlR-P2Y https://t.co/kVhgyDecjf

—
9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 18, 2016

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Dock and charge your iPhone + Apple Watch in one place for $8 Prime shipped

Apple Watch 42mm Space Gray Milanese Loop Band + Aluminum Dock: $26 Prime shipped (Reg. $34)

Take home the Lexar JumpDrive 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive for $50 shipped (Reg. $80)

• This clever iPhone 6/s case packs 10 useful tools: $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)
• Pad & Quill’s Luxury Pocket Stand for Apple Watch $64 shipped (Reg. $80)
• Audio: iHome Bluetooth Color Changing Speaker $10, SOL Republic Jax Headphones $15, more
• Goat Simulator for iOS drops to just $1 (Reg. $5)
• Lumsing 8,000mAh Power Bank $10, TechMatte MagGrip Car Mount Holder $5, more
• Networking: TP-LINK 802.11ac router + DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem: $120 (~$150 value)
• Google Play MP3 albums $1 ea: Arctic Monkeys, Shinedown and Silversun Pickups
• This garden dump cart is built like a tank and can be pulled by a tractor: $99 (Reg. $130)
• Green Deals: Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar USB Charger (refurb) $30 (Orig. $80), more
• Bluetooth Speakers: Sony SRSX7 w/ Wi-Fi + AirPlay $130 (Reg. $150+), more
• Upgrade your Mac with a Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5″ Internal SSD for $135 (Reg. $150+)
• Smartphone Accessories: TYLT MFI Lightning PowerBank & Wall Charger $6, more
• iOS gamers! Don’t miss your chance to download ‘Train Conductor 2: USA’ for free (Reg. $3)
• Green Deals: WORX 19-inch Electric Cordless Mower (refurb) $330 shipped (Reg. $400+), more
• Load up on Altoids for less than $0.85 per tin (Reg. $1+/ea.)
• Home Theater Audio: VIZIO 25-inch Sound Stand $150 shipped (Reg. $200)
• Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones $65 (Reg. $100)
• T-Mobile’s latest offer delivers free MLB.TV Premium access to its customers
• Fitbit Charge HR Activity Wristband w/OLED Display $100 shipped (Orig. $150)
• Offload your spring yard work to Amazon and get a free gift card worth up to $60
• The nimble SKEYE Nano drone has on-board camera: $50 (Orig. $69, CA Tax only)
• Fashion: PUMA extra 20% off – tees from $10/sneakers from $29, more
• Here’s how to get a 2-year sub to Car and Driver magazine for free (up to $25 value), more
• Seagate Expansion 3TB Portable External USB 3.0 Hard Drive $90 shipped (Reg. $110+)
• This War of Mine for iOS hits its lowest price ever: $4 (Reg. up to $15)
• Seiki 42-inch 4K 60Hz LED UHDTV w/ 3 HDMI Inputs: $250 shipped (Reg. $369)
• Media: Blu-rays from $10 – Paddington, Big Hero 6, more + iTunes movie bundles on sale
• Ringke Samsung Galaxy S7/Edge cases in a variety of styles/colors from $4 (Reg. up to $11)
• Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 1TB 2.5-inch Internal Solid-State Drive $270 (Reg. $305+)

How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Nike’s self-lacing prophecy finally comes true with the HyperAdapt 1.0

This NES-inspired backpack is the perfect carryall for any gamer

• Sony’s PS4 Virtual Reality kit is finally ready for primetime this fall + exclusive titles announced
• Turn your paper airplane into a first person virtual reality experience with PowerUP’s FPV kit
• Philips introduces new ambient Hue Lights that automatically simulates the sun
• WD’s new internal hard drive for Raspberry Pi brings 314GB of additional storage
• LG releases a new line of 4K Super UHDTVs with HDR capabilities and big price tags
• Rule this summer’s BBQ with Mark Dredge’s new Cooking with Beer guide
• Canon’s best-selling DSLR steps aside for the new Wi-Fi-enabled Rebel T6
• popSLATE’s second generation iPhone 6/s/Plus e-ink case drops the bulk for a slender design
• LittleBits’ latest creation focuses on robotic kits and STEAM education
• The new DODOcase Virtual Reality kit for iPhone and Android hits Indiegogo

Filed under:
How-To Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, video games

Twitter upgraded its private Direct Messaging feature last year to increase the character limit from 140 to 10,000 characters, but CEO Jack Dorsey shared in an interview with NBC’s “Today” show this morning that the same change will not be coming to tweets. As Variety reports:

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Filed under: Apps Tagged: Jack Dorsey, Twitter

With the iPad Pro name and features, the new 9.7-inch iPad will be Apple’s first to come with a starting price higher than $499. The smaller iPad Pro will start at $599 and include 32 GB of storage, according to sources. The $599 base configuration is for a WiFi-only model, while higher-priced versions with 128 GB of storage and the ability to connect to LTE cellular networks will also be offered. Apple will announce the new iPad at its event on Monday, March 21st.

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple event, iPad, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro

It was estimated last year that Apple takes home a stunning 94% of all profits made by all players across the entire smartphone industry. Its gross margin across all products hovers around the 40% mark. Apple knows how to make money from its products.

One way it does this is to sell its iPhones with a base level of flash storage that is just barely usable, and charge a hefty markup for higher storage tiers. Sure, you can buy a shiny new iPhone 6s for $649, but that gets you a measly 16GB. It’ll cost you another hundred bucks to get a more reasonable 64GB and another $100 again if you want to max out at 128GB.

I’ve touched on this topic before as part of a more general piece about whether Apple was getting a little too greedy, but it seems to me that when the company is supplying iPhones with 4K camcorders built into them, this is the point at which a 16GB tier becomes completely indefensible …

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: 4k, iPhone, Storage

Ford today announced that its first vehicle to offer support for Apple’s iPhone-connected, in-dash CarPlay system will be the 2017 Escape going on sale in May.

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Filed under: Apps, CarPlay Tagged: 2017 escape, Android Auto, Apple, CarPlay, Ford, iPhone, May, update

Apple may be left needing to find a new supplier of WiFi chips if a Digitimes report is accurate. The report claims that Broadcom is scaling back its WiFi chip production in favor of more profitable products.

As is often the case with Digitimes reports, the report is unclear, the opening stating that Broadcom is ‘looking to phase out its WiFi chip business’ while a quote ascribed to unnamed sources says instead that it plans to ‘significantly reduce resources allocated to its Wi-Fi chip business.’

Either way, though, Apple may need to find additional or replacement suppliers as it relies on the company’s chips across almost its entire product range. It’s reported that competitors MediaTek, Realtek Semiconductor and RDA Microelectronics have all received last-minute orders from Broadcom customers. It’s not known whether this includes Apple.

Photo: Broadcom WiFi Airport Card for Retina MacBook Pro (Aliexpress)

Filed under: iOS Devices, Mac Tagged: Apple Inc, Apple watch, broadcom, iMac, iPhone, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Wi-Fi